


Another Happy Ending

by crystanagahori



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But redeemed Ben Solo, Dont think about it too much it's a one shot, F/M, Gingerrose - Freeform, Reylo - Freeform, Stormpilot, i just have a lot of feelings, the romance novel au nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23138194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystanagahori/pseuds/crystanagahori
Summary: Rey edits romance novels for a living. She's celebrating the launch of her newest novel, thinking about how she managed to take it from right under the nose of her editorial rival, Ben Solo, when he shows up at the launch, needing to talk.This is not going to end well.***“If this was a romance novel, you definitely would have lured me out here to have sex with me,” Rey really tried to seem cool, but knew very well she was failing. His eyes moved to her arms, were her skin was breaking out in goosebumps.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	Another Happy Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I'm not quite sure what this is. All I know is that I have had the strongest urge to write, and since my IRL writing life is not letting me do that at the moment, I turn to fanfic. I hope you're all keeping healthy wherever you are, and this brings you a temporary distraction from the world outside!
> 
> *goes off to outline another multi chapter fic*

_Victory has never tasted this sweet,_ Rey grinned as she wolfed down one of the many cupcakes on display at the book launch. She was sure that the lovely little confections were more for the purposes of Instagram than anything else, Jannah over at Marketing even stretched out the budget to include fancy little fondant buttons with the book’s cover on the cupcakes, but lemon was Rey’s favorite flavor. She just. Couldn’t help. Herself.

It was delicious.

“You look positively evil eating that,” Poe, one of her co-editors at Resistance Romance grinned, sliding up to her with a face that Rey could describe as ‘equally devious’. Except of course, she wasn’t a romance writer, she was a romance editor, and she left descriptions like that to the experts. “Sweet victory?”

“I’m just happy that we’re launching the book,” she shrugged, trying to go for incredibly humble when she knew she was coming off nice white lady sort of confident. It wasn’t her best look. She shook her head. “I am! Poe. You were the one who brought this to my desk. _All the Red Roses_ is brilliant. I’m predicting a long, wonderful career for Tico Hux.”

Tico Hux was the pseudonym of the couple Rose Tico and Armitage Hux, the evil geniuses behind the incredibly addicting series. Rey loved the book the moment it landed on her desk—it was a blend of ancient family rivalries, incredible details on specs and ops for an imagined universe, and a brilliant love story besides. It shouldn’t make any sense, a world so ordered and defined, but the romance weaved through the narrative so seamlessly. Like a crack ship that just…worked.

The two leads, classes and worlds apart, were only just getting to know each other in the first book. And while Rey could tell which parts were contributed by Rose, and which by Armitage, it hooked her in nonetheless, enough to go to a war on her own for rights to publish the manuscript.

She grinned as she swiped a champagne flute at the memory, making a mental toast to the loser.

“Can’t say I disagree,” Poe shrugged, swiping a cupcake and eating it like the coolest person in the world. Rey never knew how Poe knew exactly how to handle any social situation that came his way, cupcake eating in public included (there’s no way to eat a cupcake without looking like a five year old wanting a sugar high), but it was always interesting to watch. Something to aspire to, at least. “How many books did they sign with us?”

“I locked them in for five. We don’t usually extend that much for a series, you know how it is—“

“Yup, one book for your first character and the next two for their two best friends,” Poe nodded. “I get the gist. I love contemporary romance that way.”

“But this is an urban fantasy, and I can’t leave them and the readers hanging,” Rey insisted, polishing off the last of her cupcake. “Especially with that twist they’re planning for the end of the third book—“

“Hey, no spoilers!” Finn interjected, practically leaping in to the conversation, the bright colors of his jacket reflecting the light amazingly. He was always the coolest dresser among the Resistance staff, which suited his job as the art director. “Poe and I are listening to the audiobook for _All the Red Roses_ at home. We’re just at the part where Phasma frees Paige from the Guard Tower.”

“Oooh, that’s one of my favorite bits!” Rey exclaimed. “And the part where they kiss while the tower falls?”

“I know!” Finn exclaimed even more excitedly. “Those two need their own series, they’re not even the main couple.”

"And Kylo is always half naked," Poe chuckled. "I approve."

If there was anything Rey loved more than editing and reading books, it was discussing them with her colleagues. Getting to work with Resistance Romance was a dream, especially for someone who only had books for company when she was growing up. Despite everything Rey had managed to do to get away from her past--worked hard to get scholarships to finish her English major, started with Resistance as an intern, then proofreader, slowly but surely earning her creds as an editor--it followed her sometimes, in the most random moments. 

“The narrator is _amazing_ , by the way,” Finn added, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Oh you mean Armitage?” Rey asked, her lip quirking as her friends collective minds were blown. “Yeah, he insisted that there was nobody else who could do the series justice like him. You have to admit, his Brendol voice is proper terrifying.”

“I get a creepy vibe from him in general,” Finn shivered, looking over his shoulder as if fully expecting half of the brilliant writing team to be lurking over his shoulder. “He always looks like he was just told that he couldn’t be hall monitor.”

“Well, Rose seems to be happy with him,” Rey sighed, looking over to where the crowd was congregating around the golden couple, Rose’s effervescent, happy charm floating above the crowd as Armitage’s chest looked like it was three times too big he was so proud. “And honestly, they’re both pretty intense when they work. You should have seen them when we were doing dev edits. Ready to chew me out in one second and whispering sweet nothings to each other the next. But then she bit him on the finger when we were discussing that tower scene.”

“Ew,” Poe winced. “Like, sexually?”

“No, Poe! She was proving a point!” Rey laughed, only slightly horrified.

“Straight people,” he rolled his eyes in exasperation, as his boyfriend snuggled up to him and tucked his hand in Poe’s back pocket. Rey wanted to roll her eyes, but laughed instead.

There was a running joke in Resistance Romance that working there meant you were sure to find the love of your life—it was born on the backs of one of the publishing world’s power couples, after all. And while Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo’s relationship was so rocky they could fill their own book series, they were happy for now, which was more than acceptable in the genre.

Meanwhile, Rey was…well. She was herself. She’d never needed to rely on anyone before, and she still didn’t. She had to admit it was a little lonely, working with a couple as in sync as Rose and Armitage, as in love as Poe and Finn. It made it very hard not to want something relatively similar for herself.

Not that she was ever going to admit that out loud, because currently, the closest thing she had to any kind of romantic entanglement was…not here.

“Rey!” Rose exclaimed, finally extricating herself from the crowd of well-deserved admirers to go over to them and wrap her editor in a huge hug. “This launch is _incredible!_ And the cupcakes are delicious!”

“Jannah did an amazing job,” Rey admitted, smiling. “But hey, you should go around, mingle more. You and Armitage totally deserve it.”

“Oh please. You’re our editor. The book wouldn’t be as good as it is without you,” Rose squeezed Rey’s shoulders and her heart absolutely swelled. God, she loved her job. “I knew you were the perfect choice. Armie totally agrees.”

“Really?” Rey laughed, shaking her head. “That’s not what I remember during our first meeting.”

“Oh please, I knew the moment we met you were going to be the one to edit the book,” Rose tutted, with the absolute confidence of someone who had the world figured out exactly, and was currently rapidly rising on the New York Times Bestseller List. “I like Ben and all, but it just wasn’t a good fit.”

The name caught in Rey’s chest. She didn’t know why. It had been that one night. Well. One night and one session where he planted his face between her legs and seemed determined not to let up until Rey orgasmed three times.

“What’s not a good fit, darling?” Hux’s voice joined the conversation. He was holding a plate of food and held it up to Rose for inspection. She gingerly picked up a crabcake and ate it. Rey did not miss the way both Poe and Finn exchanged knowing looks at the nickname.

“Oh, I was just talking to Rey about Ben,” Rose said.

“Ben? He’s right over there,” Hux said, using his chin to point in a direction in the southwest corner of the room, where, sure enough, Ben Solo towered over the crowd. “Ben!”

The man turned, and sure enough, he was there. Ben was standing with Leia, looked momentarily confused. But then his eyes locked with Rey’s. Her mind immediately flashed back to That Night, when it felt like there was nobody else in the world but the two of them, in her room, in her bed.

He started to move, no, stride toward them. Ben Solo, editor for First Order Books, was supposed to be the enemy. But the way he walked toward them, his eyes smoldering even as he moved through the crowd, wearing a _suit_? Rey was a lost cause.

Her heart stopped. She didn’t know she was going to die today, in the middle of her favorite writers’ book launch, but there she was, standing stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe.

“Why would you invite him?” Rose hissed.

“Because he’s my friend, and he was part of the initial stages of the book,” Hux pointed out. “Oh stop it, the both of you. You recall I worked in FO before it imploded three years ago.”

“Yes, then Ben took the helm, padded the whole thing in PR so thick you could cut a knife through it and started publishing books every Tuesday with those ugly ass cartoon covers,” Finn rolled his eyes.

“You have to admit, it works,” Hux shrugged. “Plus, he’s Leia’s son. They’re trying to get along. I’m sure she invites him to all the Resistance book launches…”

“Wanna bet?” Finn muttered under his breath as Ben came within speaking distance of them. He was still watching her, like he was afraid that she would bolt. To be fair, she was. How fast could she go in three inch heels?

“Rey,” he said, and his voice was like a prayer, asking for her mercy. And if Rey were editing this book, she would have the author scratch that line out immediately then do the same to her own eyes.

“Ben,” how she managed to say that evenly was a miracle.

“My congratulations,” he said, drawing her in like four other people weren’t watching. “Another successful launch from Resistance, rare as they are.”

Oh fuck.

“And how are things over at First Order Publishing?” Poe interjected, and Rey saw the moment Ben seemed to realize that there were other people besides her in this conversation. “I have to give kudos to you guys, you publish so many books I can’t keep track of them all. And I notice you have a lot more diverse characters than usual! Amazing.”

“Except of course, most of them were still written by white authors,” Finn chimed in, perfect timing, as always. “Now do you guys still take about five minutes to pull together those lazy vector covers to trick the masses into reading romance novels, or is that just something you used to do when I worked there?”

To be fair to him, he didn’t flinch. Didn’t wince, didn’t even seem to have heard the barbs Finn and Poe hit him with, which only made him look like an even bigger asshole.

“It’s a billion dollar industry,” he told them. “One would think Resistance would be grateful that we’re actually sharing.”

Then he turned to Rey again, and she hated the way her insides melted like hot butter on toast when he focused those eyes on her.

It had been an accident, the first time. They were arguing about exactly this—how First Order could continue to make a mockery out of other romance writers by instructing their authors to say “I was the first!” when they weren’t. “I can totally rep these people!” when they couldn’t.

Rey honestly couldn’t say who had kissed who first, but she did recall there was licking. A lot of licking on his part. All Rey had to do was close her eyes and she could _see_ Ben’s lips around her clit, could hear herself making the most obscene sounds as he pressed his hands into her thighs…

“Can I talk to you?” He asked, pulling her out of the memory. Right. Launch party. Civil human interaction. She was supposed to hate him.

Because she couldn’t trust herself to speak around him, Rey tilt her head in the direction of the balcony. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know that he had followed her.

“I don’t care how much you want me, we are not having sex on this balcony,” Rey joked, leaning against the railing of the balcony, looking over the fantastic New York skyline. He stood in the shadows, walking slowly to her like he was in a goddamn Hozier music video. “Unless you really wanted to.”

“I didn’t ask you here to have sex with you,” Ben said like the notion was ridiculous. He tucked his hands into his pockets, and Rey heard herself take a deep inhale. If she were writing this book, they were definitely going to have sex on this balcony.

“If this was a romance novel, you definitely would have lured me out here to have sex with me,” Rey really tried to seem cool, but knew very well she was failing. His eyes moved to her arms, were her skin was breaking out in goosebumps.

He was so near. She could count the moles on his face, see the way his lashes swept over his cheeks, every ridge and curve of his funny face. Heat shot through Rey’s body, and she shivered. She heard herself gasp as he lowered his head, so his lips were inches from her ear.

“If this was a romance novel, you wouldn’t do this to me,” he said softly, and Rey wanted so badly to touch him, but she worried it would only push him away. “You wouldn’t keep leading me on like this.”

“W-what?” She played dumb, even if she knew precisely what he was talking about. The last thing they talked about. The thing that ended everything when it came to their little arrangement. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I thought it was obvious,” he said. “You did run away from my apartment when I brought it up. Cartoon dust and everything. I never would have showed up to this book launch otherwise.”

“Oh sure, nevermind that if you didn’t go you would look extremely petty,” she said.

“My mother knows me better than that. At least she does now. And Armitage would have gotten over it,” he shrugged, so sure of everything, as always. It infuriated her at first, how he never seemed to put a foot wrong. But Rey knew all too well the tempest of emotions Ben Solo had mastered keeping close to the vest.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted you,” he said, opening up to her. “That I wanted it all with you.”

“I know,” she said, and she did. He said it after, when she was sated and happy, and he was warm and large and comforting. And still, those old fears of hers came rearing back.

“You said you didn’t believe in happily ever afters. I find that hypocritical, considering you make a living out of publishing them,” he said, and Rey actually took a step back. One of them whimpered. She was pretty sure it was her.

“Ben, the RWA literally imploded last Christmas,” she said, trying to be factual, trying to remind herself why this shouldn’t work. “The people responsible for happily ever afters turned on each other because, whoops, everyone’s racist. And I can’t believe you’re still thinking about this. We hooked up to release the tension during the negotiations. That’s over. We have to move on.”

“We can’t keep pretending that this doesn’t mean anything,” Ben insisted, the same way he did that night. “And I don’t believe that you don’t feel anything for me. Look at you, sweetheart. You’re trembling.”

She was. Oh god, she was, and she wanted to kiss him and shut him up.

“But you’re not willing to try,” he accused her. “Tell me you don’t want me, Rey. Tell me to fuck off and leave if you don’t want me.”

“OF COURSE I WANT YOU!” Rey finally exploded, pushing him back with her hands. Now she wasn’t the shortest person in the room, but Ben was _huge,_ and a little shove like that shouldn’t have taken him aback, but he took a step backward anyway, the epitome of her favorite kind of romance hero. “I want you, Ben! I want you so badly that when I look at you, I can’t breathe. But I’m scared, alright? I want those happily ever afters I see every day, and I want them for myself, but real life never grants those. And if I don’t have it with you, it will hurt. So much. I can’t.”

Was she crying? Oh god, she was crying.

“I know,” he said, and he was so gentle that it tugged at her heart. “I know, Rey.”

He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her in warmth and love. The kind she’d never truly had anywhere else. It floored her how much she felt for him. How close he held her.

Like they both agreed that things were going to be alright.

She pulled away from his arms, and there was a moment where he looked worried that she would bolt. But instead, Rey smiled, placed her hand on his cheek, brushing the skin that was so familiar to her now. She tried to memorize every detail of this moment. Not for work, not for anyone else, but for herself.

He smiled, and it lit up every corner of Rey’s darkened heart. Then she kissed him, with no ounce of selfishness to it (well, maybe a little bit, he was still the best sex she’d ever had) and it was like a promise. Not quite happily ever after, but something close. A happy for now, which was more than what Rey could have ever asked for.

“We still have a lot of things to talk about, you know,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers, their breaths syncing up. It took Rey a moment to realize that her feet were actually off the ground—Ben had literally swept her off her feet. “Like how you made Kira’s character join the Strand, just like I suggested.”

Rey grinned. “I can neither confirm or deny anything. But it really was better for her character development, and it got her a lot closer to Kylo. Now please can we get out of here so I can sit on your face.”

Ben laughed, and oh, it was such a wonderful sound. He took her hand and squeezed it, just after he lowered her to the floor.

“I love it when you sit on my face.”

Not exactly the perfect ending, but it was theirs. And Rey was more than happy for it.


End file.
